Why India needs to implement ‘One Nation, One Election’ policy

Numerous commissions have supported 'One nation, one election' approach.

The Narendra Modi government has passed a cabinet resolution to pursue the ‘One Nation, One Election’ policy. If implemented, it isn’t going to be something new for the Indian polity. Elections to the Lok Sabha and legislative assemblies of states were mostly held simultaneously from 1951-52 to 1967.

Interestingly, some of the state assemblies were dissolved in 1957 by the Congress government at the Centre to hold simultaneous polls, and this was done with consensus among all the political parties. The states whose assemblies were dissolved prior to completion of their term to facilitate simultaneous elections for the Lok Sabha and all state assemblies included Bihar, Bombay, Madras, Mysore, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal.

According to the ECI’s report on the Second General elections in India (Volume I), “The Commission called a conference of the All-India Political Parties in New Delhi on the November 13, 1956, to elicit their views on the most convenient period in February-March, 1957, for holding the general elections. The representatives of the political parties expressed themselves unanimously that the poll should be held continuously without any long break.” The ECI report in 1962 also advocated for simultaneous polls in concurrence with all the political parties.

The Law Commission of India in its 170th Report on ‘Reforms of the Electoral Laws’ submitted way back in 1999, observed that: “This cycle of elections every year, and in the out of season, should be put an end to. We must go back to the situation where the elections to Lok Sabha and all the Legislative Assemblies are held at once. It is true that we cannot conceive or provide for all the situations and eventualities that may arise whether on account of the use of Article 356 (which of course has come down substantially after the decision of the Supreme Court in S.R. Bommai vs Union of India) or for other reasons, yet the holding of a separate election to a Legislative Assembly should be an exception and not the rule. The rule ought to be ‘one election once in five years for Lok Sabha and all the Legislative Assemblies.”  The Law Commission reports in 2015 and 2018 also favoured simultaneous polls. 

The annual Report of Election Commission of India in 1983 also advocated for ‘One Nation One Election Policy’. In September, 1982 the Commission recommended holding simultaneous elections to the House of the People and the Legislative Assemblies of States for the following weighty reasons:

(1) Considerable saving on the colossal avoidable administrative and other expenditure incurred on account of holding of separate General elections

(2) Substantial economy through revision of electoral rolls for the House of the People and the State Legislative Assemblies simultaneously instead of undertaking them on a countrywide basis twice over in two different operations.

(3) For the conduct of elections, civilian personnel running into about twenty-five lakhs of officers and staff and a few lakhs of police personnel are deployed every time for about two to three months thereby seriously affecting their normal duties.

(4) During elections whether for the Lok Sabha or the Assemblies, the entire administrative set up throughout the country slows down considerably and all other normal functions and activities of the Government, including developmental work, are pushed to the background. These create a lot of hardships and sufferings to the common man. The situation con

(6) On account of the de-linking of the General elections to the House of the People from that of the State Legislative Assemblies, there is a duplication of the expenditure incurred by the candidates and political parties which results in the pumping in of considerable resources, thereby indirectly affecting money supply in the economy. Further by such de-linking, the candidates at Parliamentary election need more money and resources to fight the election singlehanded over a wide area without the backing and co-operation of companion candidates of the assembly segments. This also, it is suspected, tends to lead to difficulties for the candidates in keeping within the ceiling for election expenses.

(7) The dismantling of the temporary but complicated superstructure raised for the purpose of election by accretion of huge personnel is required to be done as speedily and smoothly as of putting up the super-structure, and normal conditions should be restored quickly. In this respect also, simultaneous elections would be highly desirable. 

The ECI report said, “Having regard to the above considerations, the Commission is strongly of the view that a stage has come for evolving a system by convention, if it is not possible or feasible to bring about a legislation, under which the General elections to the House of the People and Legislative Assemblies of the States are held simultaneously. After all, such an arrangement worked immensely satisfactorily, generally speaking, prior to 1967. 

National Commission to review the working of the Constitution headed by former Chief Justice of India M. N. Venkatachaliah recommended in the first volume of its report in 2002, “With a view to reducing election costs and strain on human and other resources, State and Parliamentary level elections, to the extent possible be held at the same time.”

It is clear that several constitutional bodies have always been in favour of restoring the ‘One Nation, One Election’ principle that was followed till 1967. The imposition of a model code of conduct during polls which are held at different times has a severe impact on the governance as governments aren’t allowed to take important policy decisions. The common people of India have been bearing the burden of elections around the year for too long.